Slow Burn

Slow Burn has become the gold standard for deep-dive political history podcasts, and the awards shelf proves it. Season 8 won Podcast of the Year at the 2024 Ambies, Season 7 took Apple Podcasts Show of the Year in 2022, and the show consistently lands on every "best of" list for good reason. Each season picks one massive American story -- Watergate, the Clinton impeachment, the L.A. Riots, Roe v. Wade, the rise of Fox News -- and spends six or more episodes pulling it apart with archival tape, original interviews, and meticulous reporting. The host rotates by season, with Josh Levin, Christina Cauterucci, and Joel Anderson among those who have steered different runs. Across 319 episodes and 10 seasons, Slate has built a documentary franchise that treats American political history with the seriousness it deserves while keeping things genuinely compelling. Episodes vary in length but usually land around 40 to 50 minutes. What makes Slow Burn hit differently than other history shows is its focus on the people and details that got lost in the bigger narrative. You'll learn about the Watergate break-in, sure, but also about the minor characters and weird coincidences that shaped how events actually unfolded. The show trusts its listeners to handle complexity, and it rewards that trust with some of the best audio journalism being made right now. A 4.6 rating from nearly 24,000 reviewers says it all.